Blind Date (2015) User Reviews

Simple yet very engaging comedy...

[roman-15 · 7/10 · 31 December 2016]

This is a very simple and engaging french film. A very shy young pianist moves to her own apartment that's separated by a paper thin wall from another one (in another building) inhabited by a hermit (almost) game designer.

The plot is thin, but the acting's great and you really become interested in the characters. Also quite a wry comment on how our very "open" society in effect isolates people by the overuse of gadgets (read smartphones).

Anyhow, the main characters find that to have an essential connection one doesn't need to be in front of another person.

Secondary actors are also great and there are many funny and endearing moments.

Really should be seen...

Enjoyable, a bit quirky, a bit silly!

[Belinda117 · 7/10 · 9 November 2018]

I really enjoyed this film, and so did my husband. Yes it is a little silly in places, but silly in a fun way, not a crass way like most American comedies I have seen of late. The characters are endearing, the story is an interesting concept, okay the final ending might be predictable but the journey to get their is original and kept us hooked from start to finish. It made us laugh out loud quite a bit too. Well worth a watch!

A Movie for Introverts

[tazinsiddiqui · 8/10 · 24 August 2018]

Un peu, beaucoup, aveuglément (a.k.a Blind Date) is a simple romantic comedy largely for people who are Introverts. The Premise is simple: An Introvert lady has just moved in her new apartment where she forms an unexpected bond with her neighbour, a puzzle maker (who largely stays away from people) by not meeting & just communicating through walls of their rooms. The movie is also available on Netflix. It is a good watch, a rather refreshing take on the romantic-comedy genre.

A Bit Corny at Times, but Charming the Whole Way Through

[scarletlitter · 7/10 · 5 January 2018]

At points it reminds me of 'Les émotifs anonymes.' There are unbelievable parts, but once this disbelief is suspended it becomes a charming and lovely film.

Enjoyable

[callalily-61774 · 6/10 · 8 December 2018]

It's a silly, light-hearted film, with a good cast. You just have to suspend your belief or the whole plot falls apart, and I'm not even talking about the idea that two people who have never seen each other would agree to be in a relationship, but the fact that an inventor couldn't invent a way to add sound proofing to his side of the wall. I figured eventually he was going to bust through (though I thought their relationship would be more advanced, would've been living together, and decided together to put in a door), so clearly he didn't care about destruction of property. I guess the fact that he broke the wall with the creation he was working on for 7 years, instead of the hammer he had right there, was supposed to be symbolic. Also, the scene of her playing the piano when her hair fell down, and her glasses flew off was cringe worthy, and I was like please don't let her shirt pop open...it did, but I think was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. The part at the end when she head butted her piano teacher (that I thought was her Dad) was unexpected and great. So all-in-all a bit cheesy, but also kind of great for that exact reason.

A little, a lot, blindly

[psg2000 · 9/10 · 15 May 2015]

A heart-warming, life affirming, romantic comedy.

It follows the lovely Mélanie Bernier, and Clovis Cornillac.

He's a miserable misanthrope who enjoys his own space, whilst she's a shy pianist.

Forced to 'live together' as their adjoining apartments are separated by 'tissue paper' thin walls.

It's really an updated, more touching version of "Sleepless in Seattle".

The major advantage of the plot is their common passion for music. This brings them closer whilst it also plays with the standard rom-com formula.

The secondary characters are equally funny and drive the comedy along. Lilou Fogli (screenwriter of this film and wife of Clovis) is fantastic in the role of sister Mélanie Bernier, talkative, funny and uninhibited. Philippe Duquesne also plays a gruff whilst endearing friend.

Ultimately it's not a film that you'll think you've seen this all before, it's refreshing, funny and classy.

I'd recommend it!

A Wall Apart

[tributarystu · 5/10 · 5 December 2016]

Full disclosure, 2016 hasn't been a great romancing year for me, so I get easily irked by too much quirky stuff or unsubstantiated love kernels. And for the most part, easy-breezy romcoms tend to consist of a string of those. So it's at least partly my fault that Blind Date didn't stick.

Then again, it felt like all the creators were working with was a concept and a final scene: the former bordering on the absurd, the latter more romantic than I was set up to expect, by the look of things. Everything else was filled in with a competent, but cloggy and predictable plot and endearingly cardboard-y characters. OK, that's harsh. The leads have a tinge of something special about them, both reclusive introverts, passionate creatives - playfully nicknamed Machine and Machin. Separated by a thin and not at all soundproof wall, they get to organizing their lives around one another and ultimately fall for each other. The secret sauce lies in them not having seen each other and therefore being able to focus on the essence of what's being conveyed. At times, the two even have enough personality to be more than cardboard cut-outs.

Instead of spending more time with them, we're served with two second-hand supporting characters, the adulterous sister (or was it friend?) of 'Machine' and the overly supportive friend of 'Machin'. The problem with these two is that they bring nothing to the story. Instead, they are classic counter-points - the rebellious matron to the timid girl, the happy-go-lucky fellow to the misanthrope. This makes them superfluous, because no time is dedicated to truly fleshing them out enough for anything they do to even matter.

Coming back to our protagonists, their purpose is to free one another of what's tying them down, while also coming together. For one, it's a perfectionist obsession with the creation brain-teaser games; for the other, it's a perfectionist obsession with playing the piano. It fits, we do like fixing in others what we can't fix in ourselves. This takeaway, so common to romantic comedies, is the bane of my existence. To its defense, Blind Date tries to nuance the matter, as one might find motivation in another, but still needs to independently commit to change. Even so, there's just an excessive amount of wish fulfillment about the movie, as too much is left unexplored to really make it worthwhile. Luckily, the bits of Chopin scattered throughout help out.

People seem to like the flick, so with my disclaimer in mind, take what you will out of this review. Yet I cannot help being disappointed, because while it does feel authentic at points, it predominantly appears trite. Maybe I should just lower my pretentious romcom bar a notch or two.

Best film for ages

[srowson-20721 · 10/10 · 7 December 2016]

I am not going to write what the film is about ... because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. Bored to tears with inane, soulless action movies - I want something that either makes me think, or makes me feel good.

So, all I am going to say is that this is the best film I have seen for years. No cops, no car chases, no daft stunts - just a charming story told in a way that completely involves you (well, it did me).

I cannot recommend it highly enough. I saw Girl on a Train on Saturday and fell asleep in the first half hour. Blind Date I didn't want to end.

Wrong era

[tinabugvi · 5/10 · 11 June 2021]

Some parts are good, funny, stupid, weird... I feel like if it was set in the 1940s or 50s it could have been better.

Two introverts meeting in a very introvert way

[michi-02147 · 10/10 · 9 February 2017]

What an excellent movie. Since I am thoroughly enjoying watching French movies, this movie is just another delightful watch that makes your heart cry out in joy.

It's a very classic plot: boy meets girl, they fall in love. But as the title already suggests - there is a wall between. A wall which does not seem to bother either of them. In fact, they both enjoy the positive sides of not being able to see each other and to not know what the other looks like ... until life interferes. Drama follows - of course in the French way - which makes sure the audience is well entertained. And yet again, this very French move where even the worst things are actually delightful winks of life is used - here adultery (the lead protagonist's sister) is just another joyful part of marriage.

Of course this movie - like so many others - holds a handful of stereotypical moves: the inner change of the girl of portrait by her leaving behind the strict hairdo as well as her glasses.

Nevertheless, I regard this movie as yet another French delightful gem that should best be served with a tarte and some wine. Enjoy and bon appetit!

Yes, the French CAN make films as bad as Americans!

[jklsedricks · 2/10 · 24 October 2020]

Pathetic; looks like it's made for the uncritical US audience targeted by Netflix, rather than for any European audience. Predictable, silly and simple; so unconvincing that you feel nothing for the characters because you cannot suspend disbelief for a moment. The only reason I gave 2 stars instead of 1 is that, unlike most of NETFLIX, it doesn't have any sickening violence. Gave up with a yawn after 30 minutes.

Lovely little film

[david-p-howard · 8/10 · 16 July 2018]

My wife and I were looking for something to watch last evening and came across this film. We thoroughly enjoyed the concept and the way it played out. Predictable, but fun nonetheless.

Melanie Bernier is not only beautiful, she became the epitome of "the girl next door" men dream about, but deny that they do so.

No CGI, no excessive violence, no overt sex, just two people learning to adapt to each other's quirks and ultimately falling in love. A very pleasant way to spend an evening.

"Blind date" Extremely funny and intelligent!

[etuc-1 · 10/10 · 12 March 2018]

Romcom's often tend to bore me these days but I feel pretty lucky that french TV sometimes show little gems like this one. I don't remember having heard of it in 2005 when it came out, but apparently it was only showing on around 250 screens in all of France. This is the first time that Clovis Cornillac (great in "Le Cactus" 2005) directed a film, and I have to admit he's set the bar quite high for a first shot. His wife Lilou Fogli wrote with him the scenario but also stars as Charlotte, a secondary role very well played. In fact the secondary rolls are spot on and are as good as the lead actors (Mélanie Bernier and Clovis Cornillac), who do a sort of blind duet I won't say more about the story. Cornillac comes from a family of actors, it runs in his blood and you can see that he's a passionate actor in every film, as he doesn't act his role but literally lives it.

I highly recommend you find a DVD, which is what I'm about to do as soon as I've finished this review.

One of my favourites

[contradictoria · 10/10 · 10 October 2019]

I happened upon this film whilst searching for a romantic that portrayed a different storyline than the most common boy meets girl. I don't tend to watch a lot of foreign films - but this film reminds me why I should as it's definitely one of my favourites. The storyline is unique - the only critisim I have (without giving too much away) is that I wish they had prolonged the ending and introduced that scene a little sooner. Not that it exactly ruined the film for me because it was a brilliant ending. And it only made the chemistry between the two so much more intense along with some comedic (major cheese) moments that I loved and a storyline so filled with talent and compassion for the arts. If you're doubting watching this film - I recommend it wholeheartedly and you'll become addicted, and perhaps watch it a few too many times, like I did.

Juste magnifique

[Claimantine · 9/10 · 9 September 2018]

Une belle histoire originale et romantique. Aucune longueur, une jolie palette d'acteurs ! Ce film est une ode à l'amour

Lighthearted and charming

[hclark-76763 · 8/10 · 20 May 2021]

Blind Date is a lighthearted and charming movie directed (and starred in) by Clovis Cornillac. Because of the film's wit and lovable characters, it won the Audience Award at the COLCOA French Film Festival as well as an award for Best First Film in the 2015 Cabourg Film Festival. These awards were well deserved by this film.

This film takes place in Paris, France. Machine, a young, shy pianist who is practicing for an upcoming audition, moves into a new apartment. This apartment has paper thin walls, which soon become a problem as you can hear any and everything on either side of the wall. Her neighbor? Machine, an introverted and very quiet man who makes noises in efforts to scare new tenants away from the apartment in effort to remain neighborless. Once Machine discovers that Machin is the culprit of all of the noise, she creates a new "schedule" for their noise. Although it's difficult (and somewhat of an annoyance to one another), the noise that Machine makes, her piano playing, is soon criticized by Machin. He says that she plays without any emotion and is lacking passion. Soon, their relationship develops and, well, you will just have to see what becomes of it for yourself.

While primarily emphasizing chasing your dreams and never giving up, I recommend this great movie to any rom-com fans, or anyone who desires a fun and lighthearted film to watch. It will certainly lift your spirits and cause a laugh or two while viewing.

Very Pleasant Entertainment

[canniballife-78396 · 8/10 · 28 October 2020]

Certainly deserves better than a "6". Really a charming story about two people who've been wounded - and are looking for human contact without being wounded again. It's an ambition common to us all, but this construction has a lot of invention. The character arcs and the narrative arc are predictable -but inside of them there are satisfying little surprises here and there that soften the blow of anticipating how He and She are finally going to end up. In sum: it could have been a boring story - but it's never boring - and this is one French director who happily doesn't seem to feel the need for breathless voiceover.

Imaginative movie

[spaceponyexpress · 10/10 · 18 June 2020]

What a concept! What an imaginative love story! Pure French culture! A wall divides, desire unites. This is a feel good movie with an original, clever, imaginative plot. I saw this film a few years ago, and seeing it for the second time was as good as seeing it for the first time. Movie is in French.